The Choice Oliver Didn't Want to Make
by mjf2468
Summary: Yet another AU story alternative showing (1) how Slade could have returned from the dead, and (2) offering Oliver the classic choice between two people he cared about (Felicity and Laurel). It takes place around the beginning of season 2. This also explores how Laurel finds out about the Arrow and her reactions.
1. Chapter 1: Confrontation with Slade

Disclaimer: Recognizable characters owned by WB/CW. Not mine. Wish they were.

 **AN: Yes, even though we are in season four now, and I should have moved on by now, Slade still lurks in my imagination. This is something I started back in season 2, so I decided it was time to finish it to share. Probably will only be a two-shot, but we shall see. Hope you enjoy, and let me know what you think.**

 **This takes place early in season 2, so this is pre-Black Canary Laurel.**

It had been a difficult year, as Oliver became accustomed to being back at home. He was also learning how to balance being the Hood and Oliver Queen. Overall, he thought he was handling it rather well.

Until it wasn't. A curse from his past came back without him being aware or prepared for it. All he knew was he was leaving QC one early afternoon. That was all he could remember, until he woke up.

Oliver first became aware of the lack of city noises as he slowly regained consciousness. Then the pain in his head made itself known in rhythmic patterns. The coldness of the cement floor underneath him sank into his bones, and he realized he was lying on his side. Oliver tried to remember what had happened earlier in the day, but it was still foggy.

Slowly opening his eyes, Oliver blinked against the brightness of a single bulb over his head. Without moving his head, he observed steel bars indicating that he was in a cell. Again. "Wonder what I got myself into this time," he asked himself with a wry grimace.

"Ah, our guest is finally awake. Nice to see you again….Oliver."

Oliver's eyes opened wide as his confused mind recognized the familiar Australian accent he thought he would never hear again. His heart leaped into his throat as he tried to wrap his mind around the fact that his worst enemy was alive. And that he was apparently at that enemy's mercy.

Oliver struggled into a seating position and glared at the older man sitting across from him. Slade Wilson, dressed in a Seville Row suit, was sitting in an overstuffed red armchair in the cold atmosphere of the unknown basement looking at him with a self-satisfied smirk on his face.

"Slade! I thought you were dead."

"Through no fault of your own, huh, kid? Sorry to disappoint you, but I was able to survive due to the mirakuru." Slade rose from the armchair and walked up to the bars of the cell. "Remember the promise I made you five years ago? Now is the time for me to keep it."

"Slade, it has been five years, five very long years. Haven't you realized it yet, it was not my fault Shado died? I wanted Ivo to shoot me, and when I thought he would, he turned the gun away and shot Shado instead."

Slade snorted in disgust. "You really do sound like a whiny broken record. She is dead because of YOU. And you will pay!"

Turning around, Slade walked to the doorway of the long room and yelled, "Bring them in now."

Oliver watched in horror as Slade's men dragged two bound women into the room. Laurel looked at Oliver in bewilderment, eyes red from crying, while Felicity met his gaze with an attempt of bravado. Oliver, however, could also see the fear she was attempting to hide. Both women were gagged, with their hands tied behind their backs. The henchmen dropped them in front of Slade, far enough away from the cage to prevent Oliver from reaching out to them.

Slade nodded towards the men, who pushed both women to their knees, and then walked to the side of the room. Slade took out a gun and made a great show of taking the safety off of it, while smiling at Oliver.

Oliver heard Laurel make whimpering noises through her gag, while Felicity swallowed twice and looked down, avoiding Oliver's gaze.

"Well, Oliver, I believe you know what we will be doing next."

Oliver was able to rise on uncertain legs and rushed to the bars of the cell. "No, Slade, you can't do this! You cannot make me choose between them!"

A loud gasp from Laurel was heard, followed by a hearty laugh from Slade.

"Oh, my dear Laurel, you haven't heard the story of how your sister Sara was saved by Oliver here, when he was faced with this decision on the island?"

Laurel looked up at Oliver, shock and puzzlement on her face as she attempted to make sense of what her kidnapper was saying. How could this man, who she never had met before, know both her sister and Oliver? Didn't Oliver say he had been on the island alone?

"Slade, please, don't do this! Shado would not want you to kill an innocent woman because of her!" Oliver attempted to reason with Slade, even though a part of him knew it was useless.

"Innocent? Innocent? Neither one of these women are innocent! This one," he motioned towards Laurel, "loved you even as you cheated on her numerous times, even with her own sister." Slade sighed, and then pointed towards Felicity. "And this one helps you with your so-called mission to supposedly save the city. Neither one is innocent."

Oliver glanced at Laurel and watched her facial expressions change as she attempted to process this information. He could almost see the details falling into place, for she knew that Felicity worked with the Arrow. Undoubtedly, Laurel was also remembering the time her father had arrested Oliver upon suspicion of being the Arrow. Even though Diggle had assisted Oliver in providing him an alibi, doubts had remained in both Lances' minds.

"Yes, Laurel, your beloved Oliver is the vigilante known as the Arrow. You still think he is worthy of your love, your consideration?" Slade asked with undisguised self-satisfaction as he removed any doubt that Laurel would now know the identity of the Arrow.

Laurel attempted to turn and look behind her at Slade, but he forced her to turn back towards Oliver. "No, don't blame me for the situation you find yourself in at this moment. It's the fault of the man in front of you, through his selfishness, who brought this on."

Felicity made a sound, as if she was attempting to defend Oliver against the onslaught of words aimed at hurting him the most. "Ah, and dear Felicity. How incorrigible that Oliver has exploited your talents and your obvious affection for him, and exposed you to such ugliness in the world." Felicity looked up at Oliver, and attempted to give him encouragement through her gaze. She hoped he wouldn't believe such vile things.

"Well, this has been fun, but it is time for this charade to end." Slade walked closer to the two women. "Well, Oliver. Who lives? Who dies?" He pointed the gun first at Laurel, "Miss Lance?" then Felicity. "Or Miss Smoak? It is up to you, Mr. Queen."

Suddenly the room became dark, as the electricity was cut off. Slade shouted to his men to attack. The three prisoners watched as Diggle, Sara, Roy and Nyssa rushed the room from either side and began to battle Slade's soldiers.

As Roy engaged Slade, Sara and Nyssa fought hand-to-hand with Slade's soldiers. Diggle had gathered Felicity and Laurel into the shelter of his arms, and led them to the corner of the room. He quickly cut the women's bonds, and then hurriedly checked to see if either women were injured.

"Go unlock Oliver. We are okay," Felicity encouraged Diggle.

Diggle took out a lock pick and opened Oliver's cage. He pulled out a knife and cut through Oliver's bonds. The two men then joined the fight with Slade's men.

Diggle glanced at Roy and Slade. The kid was holding his own, but he was quickly tiring. He then observed Nyssa and Sara approach Slade from two sides, bows drawn. They both shot an arrow of the cure into Slade.

Slade fell backwards from Roy, suddenly feeling his super-strength leaving his body. "No….." Roy was able to knock him out with a right cross. Surprised by what had just happened, Roy looked at Oliver. "What just happened?"

Oliver was also stunned with the abrupt defeat of Slade when it appeared Roy was losing the fight. Before he could ask, Sara crossed the room quickly with rope and bound Slade's wrists and ankles together. "I have contacted A.R.G.U.S. and they should be here soon, to take this scum off of our hands."

"I have never been so glad to see you guys as I was here. However, how was it Slade could be beaten?" Oliver asked.

Instead of Sara's voice answering him, it was another voice from his past that he dreaded and hated. "Well, Oliver, just as you were not aware of Slade being alive, you were also not aware of the work A.R.G.U.S. was doing in preparation for anything he may have tried. Especially involving mirakuru."

Amanda Waller, impeccably dressed as usual in her tailored suit, high heels, and hair drawn back in a bun, came walking out of the shadows.

"We were able to discover the existence of mirakuru, and to work up an antidote for it. Slade is now without super-strength."

Two men then came out of the shadows, picked up Slade, and carried him away.

"We'll make sure he doesn't cause you or anyone else any trouble ever again. I'm sure we'll be staying in touch, Oliver."

Oliver watched her leave with a grim look on his face. He shook himself out of his dark thoughts and turned to his friends.

Diggle decided to suggest something. "Oliver, why don't you take Laurel and Felicity home? I will wait here and make sure everything is taken care of."

Oliver looked at the two women. Felicity did not seem any worse for wear, but Laurel? Oliver did not like the look in Laurel's eyes. She most certainly deserved an opportunity to process the information she had been given tonight.

"Sounds good to me. Thank you Diggle, and Sara as well."

Felicity looked at Oliver, then at Laurel. She thought Laurel looked like she was still attempting to process all that had gone on.

"Oliver, I think we should go to the foundry and debrief. Especially for Laurel. I think it is time she is told everything."

Laurel looked at the other young woman in shock. "You mean there's _more_ I don't know?"

Oliver looked down at Laurel with tenderness and regret. "I'm so sorry you found out in such a way. I wanted to be the one to tell you."

"Instead of a mad man holding me hostage? Yeah, I should hope so." Laurel cocked an eyebrow at her long-time friend.

Oliver shrugged at her, and led the two women outside to Diggle's van. He got in with Laurel in the passenger seat, Felicity in the back. Looking at Laurel, who was staring out the window with eyes blazing, Oliver was sure he wasn't going to enjoy this conversation.

 **AN: Hope you enjoyed this blast from the past. Hopefully the second chapter will be up soon.**


	2. Chapter 2: Discussion with Laurel

Disclaimer: Recognizable characters owned by WB/CW. Not mine. Wish they were.

 **AN: Thanks for returning. Like I said, this is a simple two-shot. Not as well-developed as I would like, but the Muse isn't very cooperative. I hope you enjoy this AU anyway, especially Laurel and Oliver connecting in a way they never really had a chance to on the show.**

Previously:

 _Oliver looked down at Laurel with tenderness and regret. "I'm so sorry you found out in such a way. I wanted to be the one to tell you."_

 _"Instead of a mad man holding me hostage? Yeah, I should hope so." Laurel cocked an eyebrow at her long-time friend._

 _Oliver shrugged at her, and led the two women outside to Diggle's van. He got in with Laurel in the passenger seat, Felicity in the back. Looking at Laurel, who was staring out the window with eyes blazing, Oliver was sure he wasn't going to enjoy this conversation._

The journey to the foundry was interlaced with Felicity's nervous ramblings regarding the day and the sights she was seeing outside the window. Laurel sensed Oliver's relief in not having to face an awkward silence between them. Part of her didn't care what Oliver thought. At the moment she didn't want to say anything more until they had reached this "foundry". She needed the time to further process all that had happened this afternoon.

Laurel wasn't too surprised to find the van ending up at Verdant. Oliver parked the van behind the nightclub and led the women to the back entrance. Laurel had thought she knew what the back of the nightclub had looked like, but realized she never really thought about several doors at the back of the club. One was barely noticeable. It had a number pad, which Oliver punched in a code and the door opened. He entered, and Felicity indicated Laurel to follow him. Felicity took the rear.

What met Laurel's eyes as she went down the stairs was truly a sight to behold. It looked like a mixture of a health club and Cape Canaveral central. She saw the rows of arrows, the wall of drawers, next to the row of computers and monitors, with exercise mats in the back. Her eyes then traveled upwards and saw a strange contraption looking like a metal ladder.

"That's what's known as the salmon ladder. It helps keep Oliver in shape. You should see him exercise on it. I call it my distraction." This statement made Laurel look at Felicity, who began to blush. Felicity stammered, "My mouth. And lack of a mind-mouth filter. As you get to know me better, you will get used to it as well."

Laurel cocked an eyebrow. Felicity continued, "I mean, since you now know the secret, we probably will see each other more. You know, since Oliver and I spend most of our time together. Well, not _together_ together, but…"

"Felicity…." Oliver interrupted. "Why don't we sit down by the computers and talk?"

He led Laurel over to the desk. She sat down in one of the office chairs she found there, looked at the other two, and waited for one of them to speak.

"Why don't you update me first on what happened with you, Felicity?" Oliver asked.

Felicity told her side of events, which included a diatribe on how rudely her coffee break was interrupted by her being kidnapped as she returned to QC from a quick coffee run that afternoon.

Oliver then explained how his memory was somewhat sketchy after he had left QC for the day, but he must have been nabbed in the parking garage as he headed for his motorcycle.

Laurel gave her side of the story, which involved also being nabbed when outside on her lunch break. She paused, looking at the two people in front of her. Two people who had repeatedly lied to her over the past two years. She decided she could no longer wait to bring up the topic. And so she addressed it in her usual straightforward fashion.

"So. Oliver Queen is the Arrow." She leaned back into the chair and fixed Oliver a death glare.

Oliver blanched at her directness. "Like I said, I'm sorry you found out this way. And for getting you involved in this."

"My father was right." Laurel's thoughts turned to a year ago when her father had been humiliated after he failed to prove Oliver was the Arrow. Or 'the Hood' as he'd been known at that time.

"As he usually is."

Laurel's lips curled into a small, wry smile. She instantly remembered how a young Oliver was forever disagreeing with her father and almost always ending up on the losing end.

"So who was masquerading as the Hood that night?"

"My friend and partner John Diggle."

"Who's also your bodyguard."

"Well, he started off as such. Then I decided to enlist his help."

"And bypass me, an old friend."

"Laurel, like I said, it's..."

"Complicated. Yes, you keep saying that." Deciding she'd have to address the remaining anger and resentment later, Laurel asked her next question. "Who is Slade anyway?"

"We met on the island."

"I thought you said you were alone on the island."

"When I returned, I wanted to avoid all questions, and that seemed to be the simplest way of doing it. By saying I was alone. A lot happened on the island, and Slade was only a part of it." Laurel looked at Oliver, who continued. "Someday I'll tell you more. Even Felicity and Diggle don't know everything. Yet."

Probably because of the tense atmosphere, and knowing their past history, Laurel sensed Felicity was about to leave. "Oliver…I think you can handle it from here. Laurel, I'm so happy you didn't get hurt tonight." Felicity attempted but couldn't stop the word babble. "I know you're mad at Oliver for keeping secrets, but he didn't mean any harm. I hope you will be able to understand that."

Oliver threw her a look, which quickly made Felicity stop her babble. She cleared her throat and said, "So…I'm going to go now. I'll talk to you later, Oliver." Oliver watched as Felicity climbed the stairs and quietly left the Foundry.

He turned to the woman in front of him. "Laurel, she's right. As she usually is. I never meant to hurt you."

"But you did. So…you were going to tell me that night, though."

Not surprising, Oliver knew which night to which she referred. The night before the Undertaking. When they'd slept together.

"Yes, when I thought everything was going to change. When I thought I could hang up the hood for good. But we weren't able to completely stop Merlyn, and…and I went off the edge for a while."

"So I gather you really weren't in Europe last summer?"

"No…I returned to the island."

Laurel looked at Oliver with a shocked expression on her face. "Why would you do that?"

"I…I needed time to think. To mourn Tommy. To process my failures."

"Failures?"

"Letting everyone down."

Laurel studied the young man in front of her. The man who she thought she knew so well since they were young. The man she had fallen in love with so desperately when she was sixteen. The man who let her down so many times before that stupid shipwreck. How could that man change so much into the one who was now sitting in front of her? The man, despite all which he had apparently accomplished this past year while wearing a hood, still doubted his worth.

"How could you say that?"

"And how, of all people, can you ask me that? I let both you and Tommy down."

"Why, Oliver? You said you tried to stop Merlyn, you did all you could. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. If I'd only listened to you, I'd never would've been at CNRI and Tommy wouldn't have died."

Oliver studied her. "You don't really believe that, do you?"

"I suppose as much as you believe you're at fault." Laurel gave a short laugh. "Maybe why we didn't work as a couple was that we're too similar. We're both too stubborn for our own good."

"Hey, speak for yourself!" Oliver said, but with a small smile on his face and a little twinkle in his eye.

"Oh, I am, Mr. Queen, I am." The smile in her eyes and on her lips disappeared as she remembered what they had been discussing.

"So…Slade is part of the reason you became a vigilante in the first place?"

Oliver shrugged. "Kind of. Like I said, there's a lot I still haven't processed from those years I was gone."

"So…"

"So, I keep protecting the streets as the Arrow. Felicity, Diggle, and Roy help me."

"And what about me?"

"What about…you?"

"Now that I know, I can help."

"No, Laurel, I can't involve you in this."

"Why not?"

Oliver sighed. Knowing the infamous Laurel Lance stubbornness, it was better if he would just address this issue right away. "In what way?"

Laurel was momentarily taken aback by his sudden recapitulation. "I…I don't know." Shrugging, she continued, "I'm new at this. What…what do you suggest?"

"Why don't we leave that for another discussion? Do you have any other questions about what happened today?"

Laurel bit back a sarcastic remark. How typically Oliver to attempt to avoid their issues. "Oliver, of course I still have questions. Starting with, when were you going to tell me?"

Oliver's face adopted the look Laurel knew very well. The "I have to lie but I don't know what to say" face. Which Oliver usually gave her when she had caught him cheating, years ago.

"You weren't." Laurel's voice was flat, formal, accusing.

"Laurel, you have to understand...this is a very dangerous role I've taken. I didn't want you to be involved. To be hurt."

"Would you have told me if we'd stayed together?" As Oliver struggled with an answer, Laurel rushed in and said, "Only if you had to, I suppose,"

Oliver shrugged. "Please understand. This mission, this...thing I do. I always only meant to do it alone."

"How do you explain Diggle and Felicity?"

"They just sorta happened."

"What happened, Oliver? You were never like this, a loner. Self-sacrificing to the utmost." Laurel grabbed Oliver's hand. "The island...those years gone...they were that bad?"

"Yes. They were. And I never intended to tell anyone any of it. But it sure keeps reappearing in my life."

Laurel looked at the good, kind, dedicated man in front of her. In that instance it seemed she understood the man he was, now. Truly, more honorable than she'd ever would've thought five years ago. And for the first time since his return, Laurel could see them be friends. True friends.

"So, why don't you take me out for some food? Almost getting killed sure can give a girl an appetite."

Oliver smiled the smile Laurel knew was only for her and said, "I'd like that."

 **AN: Thank you for reading this two-shot. When I first began it I only thought about the adventure aspect. Glad it gave me the opportunity to explore some possible Lauliver. I may return to this universe at some point. Perhaps have Laurel develop into Black Canary without the whole addiction thing. I know, I know. But a person can decide to become a crimefighter without some deep trauma. I think the seeds were there in season one. So we shall see. Thanks again for reading!**


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